


till death do us part

by grus



Category: The Ghost Bride - Yangsze Choo, 彼岸之嫁 | The Ghost Bride (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29610435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grus/pseuds/grus
Summary: Can Li Lan and Er Lang find happiness as the underworld's curse looms over their heads?
Relationships: Er Lang/Pan Li Lan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	till death do us part

**Author's Note:**

> Post series. Based on the TV show only, as I'm yet to read the book.

"Er Lang?"

"Hmm...?" he murmurs softly, half asleep already.

She slowly runs her fingers through his thick, luscious hair before she replies, suddenly overtaken by uncharacteristic shyness.

He doesn't seem to mind the awkward pause and gladly leans into her touch, like a content cat.

For a couple of minutes they just stay like this, basking in each other's warmth. After all those nights sleeping outside in a tent at best, it feels luxurious to be sleeping in an actual bed, even if the one in their room at the inn is rather hard and narrow.

Finally, Li Lan gathers the courage to speak up.

"I just... love you so much, Er Lang," she lays her head down in the crook of his neck, avoiding his eyes.

"Please, don't ever leave me behind again..." she continues, voice shaky even to her own ears.

For a long moment he stays silent and she starts wondering whether he'd fallen asleep, but then he whispers into the darkness.

"I did it for your own good... you know that..." he trails off.

Anger wells up in her chest and tears are threatening to spill from her eyes. She wants to scream at him, but she composes herself enough to control her voice.

"I know what's good for me, and that is being with you till the end," she catches his lips and kisses him possessively, as if staking her claim.

At first he hesitates to reciprocate, but then deepens the kiss himself and rolls on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

Their lovemaking is desperate and urgent, each time together being possibly their last. Even more likely so, now that the black veins have covered half of Er Lang's body, both his arms and most of his chest sporting the symbol of the underworld's claim to him. The curse's spread seems to be faster the closer Er Lang and Li Lan are to each other, in fate's cruel irony.

Their happiness is not one that can last.

No one than Er Lang is more aware of it.

And, gods, he'd kept her at arm's length for so long, even ran from her, this time _literally_. But she always catches up, ever persistent, even more so now that she knows the real reason for his distance.

Whatever he did would end up breaking her heart.

Who was he kidding, her heart was already broken.

"Please, stop thinking about it... at least when we're together," she pleads with him, squeezing his hand.

"I'm sorry... for everything," he knows "sorry" is not enough, but that's the best he's got.

She is silent for a beat, and he can sense that he'd angered her again.

"The only thing you need to be sorry for is ditching me," she grits through her teeth, her tone uncharacteristically cold.

"I will _always_ come after you, Er Lang, _always_ " she finishes forcefully.

"Sounds like a threat," he quips almost involuntarily.

"You know it is," she gives him a sad laugh in return.

"Come on, you need to sleep, we have an early morning tomorrow. The investigation won't conduct itself," he tries to put an end to their conversation before things go south even further.

She yawns, loudly.

"You're not off the hook, mister," she gives him a quick peck on the lips and lays her head on his chest.

Soon enough he can hear her soft snores. He'd never known snores could be cute, not until he'd met her, but that was Li Lan for you. What _wasn't_ cute about her?

For a long while he looks at what he can see of the ceiling in the dark. His thoughts keep racing, for the millionth time going through his limited possibilities.

* * *

In the morning the first words Li Lan hears after waking are "Will you marry me?"

Er Lang laughs out loud at her bug eyed expression.

One should probably not be laughing during one's own marriage proposal, but the face she is making is too funny to resist.

"Oh, so you were kidding... figures..." her face drops.

"No, no, no... I was emphatically _not_ ," he barely stops himself from laughing again.

It's the nerves.

He is going insane.

"Listen, I mean it... I'd thought about it all night. I want you to be happy Li Lan, and the limited time I can give you I will... and now I know there is no use running from you anyway, is there?" he quips, because if there's one thing he can't handle it's a heavy mood.

"Of course, I will, you absolute idiot!" she throws herself at him, arms around his neck.

And it's settled. 

There are dark clouds over their heads, but at least for now there's sunshine coming through them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I have some more ideas so there might be more fic coming... I'm pretty busy so it'll take a while though. Stay tuned!


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